Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive
"Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" is a popular song. The music was written by Harold Arlen, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was published in 1944. It is sung rather like a sermon, and explains that accentuating the positive is key to happiness. In fact, Mercer told the Pop Chronicles that his inspiration for the title came when "I went to hear Father Divine and he had a sermon and his subject was 'you got to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.' And I said 'Wow, that's a colorful phrase!'"[1]
Mercer also recorded the song (with The Pied Pipers and Paul Weston's orchestra), as well as the Artie Shaw Orchestra and Bing Crosby with The Andrews Sisters.
The Johnny Mercer recording was recorded on October 4, 1944, and released by Capitol Records as catalog number 180. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on January 4, 1945 and lasted 13 weeks on the chart, peaking at #2. [2]
The Bing Crosby/Andrews Sisters recording was recorded on December 8, 1944, and released by Decca Records as catalog number 23379. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on January 25, 1945 and lasted 9 weeks on the chart, peaking at #2. [2]
The Artie Shaw recording was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-1612. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on January 25, 1945 and lasted 5 weeks on the chart, peaking at #5. [2]
Another version was recorded by Johnny Green in the United Kingdom on April 6, 1945, and released by Parlophone Records as catalog number F-2069. Soul great Sam Cooke recorded it for his "Encore" album.
The song has twice been recorded by Perry Como: once on February 19, 1958 and later in July, 1980. Both were primarily made for albums. Neither version was released as a single in the United States, though the 1958 version was released in Germany by RCA as a 45rpm single (catalog number 47-9243-A).
Aretha Franklin recorded it for Columbia Records in the early 1960s, and it keeps showing up in her many re-releases on that label.
The song has been used for many years as the theme for the program "Faithville", in a version by the Spitfire Band.
Appearance in film soundtracks
The song was covered by Dr. John for the 1992 movie The Mighty Ducks.
The song features in the American police drama L.A. Confidential, the 1999 movie Blast from the Past and the final episode of time-travel television series Quantum Leap. It is also part of the soundtrack for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, where it is covered by Clint Eastwood.
It was also used in commercials for Australian health insurance provider MBF in the early 2000s, and UK gas and electricity provider npower in 2008.
References
- ^ http://www.sfradiomuseum.com/audio/ksfo/1972/Trib_Pop-Chronicles-Article-2_1972.pdf
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research.